Once upon a time
by Rikona
Summary: (AU) Iruka; the polite, generous and loved prince. Naruto; the Kind, gruff, and hated demon. It's only natural that they would find eachother and fall in love. But then, there's the matter of Iruka's betrothee....(IruNaru, rating will rise later)


Once upon a time, in far away kingdom called Konohagakure, there lived a prince. His name was Prince Iruka Umino.

Now, at first glance, he looked as all princes should look; incredibly handsome (almost pretty), garbed in long robes and fancy shoes, his long, smooth, brown hair held back from his eyes by a gold circlet, etc.

He also behaved like a normal prince. He was polite, well mannered, generous to the poor (so much so that there weren't any really poor people left...), modest, and relatively obedient. (Okay that isn't normal behaviour for an average prince, seeing as most princes were selfish and bigheaded, but bear with me...)

Iruka's kingdom also seemed normal at first glance, but if you took a second glance, or a closer look, you would see that it wasn't quite as normal as you first thought. For one, the kingdom wasn't ruled currently by a king. For, you see, Prince Iruka's parents (the king and queen duh) had been killed twelve years ago by the Nine Tails demon. The demon had later been defeated by the captain of the guard, Yondaime, who sacrificed himself to seal it away, but it was too late to save prince Iruka's parents. How sad.

Since Iruka had been too young to rule, the kingdom had been watched over by the local lord, Sandaime. Unlike most lords who take over kingdoms in other fairy tales, Sandaime was a kind and just ruler who didn't have heavy taxes or anything like that. But now he was getting very old, and Iruka was almost of age to take over. But, even if he was of age, Iruka still couldn't rule the kingdom until he became a king. And to do that, he would have to marry a princess.

So the incredibly handsome (almost pretty) prince had been betrothed to a princess from a neighbouring kingdom. Her name was Princess Kurenai Yuhi. However, there was a problem associated with the betrothal. Well, actually, there were three problems. One: Prince Iruka was the type of person who believed in Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and above all things, Love. Arranged marriages weren't his thing. Two: Prince Iruka wasn't attracted to Kurenai from the few times he had met her. In fact, Prince Iruka wasn't even attracted to women. And three: Prince Iruka was already (secretly, I might add) involved with someone. Not just involved actually. It was more like completely, undoubtedly, madly, lustfully, head over heels in love. But the love couldn't be more forbidden.

The person he loved was a demon. And his name was Naruto. They had met about a year ago in the forbidden forest.

Flashback

One day, about a year ago, the castle had been full of hustle and bustle in preparation for a party. Since he didn't like hustle and bustle, Prince Iruka was sneaking out of the castle for a little peace and quiet. (Why on earth he thought a forbidden forest would be peaceful and quiet is beyond me. Maybe because no one ever goes in there...but then again, there's all those monsters that make it forbidden in the first place...ah, whatever.).

Anyway, as he was walking through the woods, he was soon confronted by an incredibly attractive young man of about 17 years old or so (1). This young man was a stark contrast to the incredibly handsome (almost pretty), dark and regally dressed prince. He had wild, shaggy blonde hair that stuck out every which way and a light tan, but not as tanned as the prince. He wore a baggy orange robe with blue at the cuffs and neck, and no shoes whatsoever. But what caught Iruka's attention was his face. His features were perfect, marred only by the whisker-like marks on his cheeks. And his eyes were a piercing red, with narrow slits for pupils. Immediately, Iruka knew that this man had to be a demon in the guise of a man. And the seven (2) fox tails that waved behind him only confirmed this.

The prince's dark chocolate eyes widened in fear, and he backed away, only to trip on a root and fall on his firm and well shaped ass. The demon smiled, showing sharp canines, and took a step towards the fallen man, who only scuttled further away and tried to raise himself enough to run. Suddenly, moving faster than the eyes can follow was the demon, right in front of him, offering a hand that had claws instead of nails.

"Here." He said in a deep husky voice that made the prince shiver.

Iruka stared at the clawed hand; unsure of what to do. Luckily, the demon solved his problem.

"Take it." He spoke again with that deep voice, and by the tone, Iruka could tell that it was an order. So tentatively, he reached out a shaking hand and grasped the demon's own clawed one.

The demon pulled him up as if he was a doll, and in an instant he was standing. But he was standing much too close to the demon for his liking. Backing away slightly, the prince bowed politely.

"Um, arigato." He whispered. So far, it didn't seem as if the demon wanted to hurt him. Judging from his speed earlier, Iruka was sure that the demon could kill him in the blink of an eye if he so desired, and he hadn't yet. That didn't stop him from still being afraid, but being afraid didn't make him forget his manners. (Wikkle polite princy poo Iruka. Heheh)

The demons eyes widened the slightest bit, almost too little an amount to notice, but they widened all the same. Iruka wondered if the demon was used to politeness (his arigato had simply come from living in a palace his whole life). Then the demon smiled, once again showing his sharp teeth, and bowed back.

"Do itashimashite."

The two stood there for a while, looking at eachother, until the demon broke the silence.

"You're pretty."

Iruka's eyes widened a considerably larger amount than the demon's had earlier, and a slight blush soon stained his face.

"U-um...um...a-arigato?" He stammered, turning his red face to the ground.

"What's your name?"

The prince's eyes quickly went from the ground to the demon, wide once again. Since he was still fearful of the demon's possible wrath if he didn't obey, he answered.

"I-Iruka Umino..."

The demon smiled again. "Your name is pretty too. Dolphin."

This time the blush was deep. But he was quite sure now that the demon didn't have much of an intention to harm him. So he had enough courage now to ask some questions of his own.

"U-um...what's your name?" He whispered, afraid that maybe the demon would be angry with him for daring to ask something in return. Although he was a prince, Iruka knew that humility was important in front of a creature that could kill him in a second.

But the demon actually seemed pleased with the question. His smile was larger than any before, and his red eyes curved happily.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki."

Iruka smiled. "That's a nice name too. I love naruto's (3)."

Naruto laughed. It was a loud, hearty sound that forced Iruka to smile again.

"Well, I have some ramen at home cooling right now. Would you like to join me for lunch? I was looking for company anyways."

Iruka's eyes widened once again. Lunch with a demon? How did he know that Naruto wouldn't make him a part of lunch? But then again, if he refused, Naruto might be angry with him and rip him into little tiny pieces. But then again again Naruto might to the same thing if he agreed to come. But then again again again he might not. And he seemed nice enough so far...

"Um, s-sure. I'd be happy to eat lunch with you." (NOT!)

Grinning, Naruto took hold of Iruka's hand and began to run. Apparently, he knew the limits of human muscles because he stayed at a pace that Iruka could easily keep up with. As they ran, Iruka tried to ignore how warm Naruto's hand was. He also tried to ignore how the demon's tails swirled around him and kept brushing up against his body (some of them in embarrassing ways) and how attractive Naruto was. Even from behind. He failed.

Sooner than he expected, the prince found himself stopping in front of a medium sized cottage. It was an attractive abode, with cedar walls and several windows. There was a small vegetable garden growing in front of it.

"This is where you live?" Iruka asked, very aware that Naruto's warm hand still grasped his. He was surprised that a demon would live in such a humble place.

Naruto snorted. "Phht! me live here? Yeah right! My friend, Gaara lives there. He likes to live on the ground, but I don't, and I live up there." He pointed to a very large nearby cedar tree, and craning his neck, Iruka could faintly make out the shape of a house way up in the tree. Way up in the tree. Waaay up there.

"Oh." He squeaked. "I see."

Suddenly agreeing to have lunch with Naruto seemed like a much worse idea than before. Not that he was afraid of heights or anything. He just had a slight problem with climbing over two hundred meters up to have lunch with a strange demon that he just met in a tree house of unknown stability. He didn't think his love of ramen was that strong...

His thoughts were broken by Naruto's deep voice.

"You can't climb. Get on."

Startled, Iruka glanced over at Naruto and saw that he was hunched over on all fours, giving him an even more animalistic appearance. His eyes met the prince's and he gestured towards his back. He wanted Iruka to piggyback.

Understanding what Naruto was getting at, Iruka shyly grasped Naruto's shoulders and climbed onto his back. As soon as he was sure that Iruka had a good grip, Naruto bunched his legs and jumped about fifteen meters into the air, and as soon as gravity started to take its effect, he latched his claws into the tree bark and climbed squirrel style until he reached a thick branch. Then he bunched his legs again and jumped to another branch, and so on and so on until he reached the house that was built right into the tree. The whole ordeal took about twenty seconds, and through it all, Iruka held on for dear life.

When they stopped, Naruto stood up on the narrow balcony and expected Iruka to slide off his back, but the prince still clung like a baby koala.

"Um, you can get off now..."

"Uh huh..."

"...You're still on."

"Uh huh..."

"..."

"..."

"Do you want me to take you inside before you get off?"

"Uh huh..."

So, with Iruka stuck to his back, Naruto opened the door to his house and walked in. It was pleasant enough, with cedar walls and glass windows like Gaara's cottage. There was a patterned rug on the smooth floor, a small table near the corner, a wood stove with a pot full of ramen on it and a counter in the other corner, and a door that probably led to a bedroom. There were two cupboards on one of the walls. One of them probably held plates, bowls, cups, chopsticks and spoons, and the other probably held food. All in all, very cozy and simple compared to the regal palace full of tapestries, huge tables, and servants that Iruka lived in.

Speaking of Iruka, as soon as Naruto closed the door, the prince slid off his back and collapsed on the floor.

"Oh Kami. Oh Kami, I thought for sure I was going to fall." He moaned, shakily getting to his feet. Naruto laughed.

"If you had, then I would have caught you. There's nothing to worry about. Now, get a bowl and some chopsticks and dish yourself up some ramen. There's plenty on the stove. I always prepare lots because I have a huge appetite! Gaara says that I must have hollow tails or something because he doesn't know where I put it all!"

"O-oh, is that so? U-um...what kinds of things do you eat?" Iruka squeaked as he filled the bowl with ramen. It was actually a new experience for him because he'd always had servants who dished out his food before, but he was too scared of Naruto eating him to appreciate it. For a moment, he had forgotten that Naruto was a demon, but the mention of having a huge appetite had kind of brought back the memory. He noticed that Naruto was answering his question.

"Oh, well, I mostly eat miso ramen, because it's my favourite. But I also have chicken flavoured ramen, beef flavoured ramen, pork flavoured ramen, and just plain ramen. Sometimes I eat some berries, but only when they're just right. I don't eat vegetables, except for carrots because they taste good, but all the others are gross!"

His speech stopped long enough for him to slurp up another mouthful of noodles. He chewed, swallowed, and continued.

"Once I ate a rabbit, and it was okay, but they're too much hassle to catch when there's perfectly good ramen around, so I don't bother unless I have nothing else to eat. Oh, and I also eat rice." Then he went back to his bowl.

Aside from the rabbit (Iruka wasn't sure if Naruto had eaten it raw or cooked) all of the strange demon's food seemed normal enough. He relaxed a little, and placed his bowl on the table. Then he pulled out the second chair that Naruto apparently kept for company, and sat down.

The two sat at the table in silence, save for the slurping of noodles and the chirping of birds outside. When they were finished, Naruto politely put the bowls on the counter (Iruka suspected that, since Naruto had no running water up in his tree, he must wash the dishes elsewhere) and sat back down at the table. Remembering his manners, Iruka bowed.

"Arigato gosaimasu for the ramen. It was delicious."

"Uh, do itashimashite. Do you know how to play go?"

Iruka blinked. "Go? I love go! I play it all the time! You have a board?!"

**THUNK!**

"Yep!" Naruto grinned. "Here it is!"

Iruka stared at the beautiful go board that had appeared in front of him in the blink of an eye. Naruto certainly was fast...

The board was quite different from all the others that Iruka had ever seen. It was a deep reddish brown colour and so shiny that the prince could see his incredibly handsome (almost pretty) reflection in it easily. The edges were trimmed with gold and the short legs were carved into the shape of paws.

"Wow." He breathed. "It's beautiful. The best boards in the palace couldn't compare to this one."

Naruto stared at him. "How would you know that?"

Iruka blinked. "Uh, I've played on the best boards at the palace, and none of them are nearly as pretty as this one. What kind of wood is it?"

Naruto didn't answer the question. Instead, he stared some more. "You've played at the royal palace?"

Iruka laughed. "Of course I've played at the palace! I live there!"

The demon's eyes looked like they were about to fall out of his head. "Y-you live at the palace?! So, you're the prince?!"

"Of course! Couldn't you tell? I'm wearing a gold circlet and long robes with fancy shoes. I thought you knew."

Naruto sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. "Well...I never paid much attention to your clothes, to tell the truth. I don't much pay attention to that kind of thing. And anyways, I always thought that the prince would be bigheaded, arrogant and selfish and walked around in gold clothes and had lots of jewels stuck all over him. But you're really nice and polite and your clothes are nice, but they're not really super fancy. Plus you treated me like I was equal, or even superior to you. That kind of behaviour doesn't exactly scream out 'Royalty!' to me."

Iruka blushed, and Naruto decided he was cute when he blushed. "Gomen nasai. I know that I'm not extravagant but I assumed that you knew who I was because...well...just because. Does it bother you?"

"Well, not really. But if I'd known who you were before, I never would have invited you for lunch. No offence, but I just told you how I view princes."

Iruka smiled. "I understand. Actually, I've met several princes and princesses who match your description quite well. I just happened to have wonderful parents. And Lord Sandaime is a very good teacher of etiquette and such. Now, about that go game..."

Naruto and Iruka had turned out to be almost equal in skill when it came to go, but in the end, Naruto won because Iruka became distracted when the demon's friend, Gaara showed up.

Skinny, pale and quiet, Gaara was the opposite of Naruto. His black-rimmed eyes gave Iruka the creeps, and the prince was sure that he could smell sand as soon as the other demon entered the dwelling.

"Yo Gaara!" Naruto yelled when he noticed the other presence. "Meet Iruka-san (4)! He's the prince!"

Gaara glanced towards the incredibly handsome (almost pretty) prince.

"...the prince, eh? How on earth did you get him into this dump? Don't answer that. But I thought that you hated royalty, Naruto. Don't you remember what they did to your-"

"Shut up, Gaara! He's not like that! He's really nice and polite, **and** he's good at go! Unlike you! **HA**!"

Gaara's glare could have curdled water.

After Iruka lost (by one point) all three of them had gone for a walk. Naruto showed Iruka the various types of vegetation, and Gaara showed him the various types of rock and dirt.

"See that one there? That one! No, the big one! Yeah! That's a Hemlock tree!"

"Nice."

"...the soil in this area is very moist, especially after last night's rain, but it's usually dryer."

"...that's nice too."

"Look! Look! It's a rabbit!"

"Where?!"

"...Who cares about a rabbit?"

"WAIYAY! Watch me catch that little bugger!"

"Naruto-san! Please don't eat it!!"

"...Naruto doesn't eat raw meat..."

"Oh, sorry."

"HEEHAAW! GOTCHA!"

In the end, Iruka learned that: 1. demons were nothing like he originally thought

2. Gaara wasn't all that bad (if a little moody),

3. it was very easy to get lost without a guide,

4. Being full of giant snakes, wolves, and tigers (6), the forest was dangerous for a normal human. Naruto told him that when he tried to go home alone. So, escorted by a demon, the prince found his way back to the palace.

"Your highness! Where on Earth have you been all this time?!" Sandaime rushed to Iruka's side as soon as he entered the door. "We've been searching for you for hours!"

The prince's eyes widened and he glanced at his watch (5). "Oh, I didn't realize that I was gone that long. Gomen nasai, I lost track of the time. But Sandaime-san, I had the most wonderful time! There was delicious ramen, and we played an excellent game of go on a beautiful go board! And after that we went for a walk through the forest-"

"Hold on for a second! Where did you go, and who were you with?!" Sandaime butted in as soon as Iruka paused for a breath.

"Oh, um...I was walking through the forest, and I met a peasant who invited me for lunch." (Naruto had told the prince not to tell anyone about his home. Apparently, demons and humans were not on the best of terms).

Sandaime was sceptical. "You met, and had lunch with, a peasant that you met in the forbidden forest of death and doom?"

The dolphin prince giggled. "Since when was it called the forbidden forest of death and doom? I though it was just the plain old forbidden forest."

The lord smiled sheepishly. "Well, I just came up with that name, actually. But I suppose it won't stick since the forest doesn't seem to be very dangerous. You came out of it without a scratch."

"Oh no! The forest is very dangerous! It's full of huge beasts and such, but the peasant I met knew the forest well, and he also knew how to avoid the perils."

"...Hm. All the same, I do not approve of your meandering into a forbidden forest. Especially when there's a party due to start soon! And look at you! Your robes are covered in dirt, and your hair has twigs and leaves stuck in it! Quickly find some dress robes, and wash yourself! The guests will be arriving soon."

"Yes sir!" Iruka saluted Sandaime and practically glided up the stairs to his room. The lord was quite perplexed. He hadn't seen the prince this giddy for years...

Iruka sighed happily as he snuggled himself into the down-filled blankets that covered his enormous, four poster bed.

The party had been a success, as far as he knew, although it had been rather disheartening when Sandaime introduced him to another princess. The old man was constantly trying to find a bride for Iruka, but the prince always disliked the bubbly and stuck up girls. He was sure that there was someone out there for him; he just hadn't found her yet.

Iruka's last comforting thought before he drifted off to dreamland was Naruto. He couldn't wait to see him again....

End Chapter.

Phew. I'm finally done. Omg. And this fairy tale was supposed to be a oneshot. Hahah. This fic is for Pepseh-chan. I know that she asked for a oneshot, but I got carried away.

I'm making Naruto and Iruka almost the same age in this fic. Iruka is around 18, and Naruto is like 17.

The reason Naruto has only seven tails will be explained later...

Just in case someone doesn't know; Naruto's are a type of fishcake that is found in ramen. Hence, the pun on his name.

I suppose Iruka would normally be called Iruka-sama or something, but even though Naruto knows Iruka is the prince, he's not the respective type. (in the actual anime and manga, he's always insulting the Hokages, so why should he be polite here?)

Um, this fic is sort of like the real Naruto story. It has things like electricity (and watches) even though it's in a long ago type of setting.


End file.
